Hall Of Famer Bully Ray Praises WWE NXT Stars Elio LeFleur & Dorian Van Dux: ‘You Have Bright Futures”

WWE

With Elio LeFleur set for his NXT debut and reflecting on a match against Dorian Van Dux, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised both stars.

Previously Aigle Blanc on the independent scene, the star now known as Elio LeFleur signed with WWE in March 2025 and has competed on NXT as well as AAA on Fox.

Dorian Van Dux may be familiar to independent wrestling fans as Mike D Vecchio and signed a WWE deal in September of last year, making his NXT debut in April in a loss to EK Prosper in the WWE Speed Tournament, having competed on NXT Live shows, EVOLVE and LFG: Legends & Future Greats.

Following the most recent LFG episode, LeFleur shared a post on Twitter reflecting on the match he taped for this show against Van Dux, prior to his NXT TV debut.

Calling Van Dux one of his best opponents ever, the former WWE Speed Champion wrote:

“Before my NXT debut, I earn this opportunity on LFG.

“And this match is now available !

“Vs. One of my best opponent forever, @DorianVDwwe

“This reminds me how much I miss wrestling.

“I’m doing my best to come back as soon as possible, I promise.”

WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray would catch sight of the tweet, sending praise in the direction of LeFleur and Van Dux, responding:

“Keep up the hard work, Elio…

“You and Dorian have bright futures. 🤓💪🏽”

Bully Ray, known to WWE fans as Bubba Ray Dudley, has served as a coach on all three seasons of the A&E series LFG, with season three seeing Kevin Owens and Nattie added.

The Reality Of WWE LFG

Three seasons in and WWE LFG: Legends & Future Greats continues to chart the journeys of up-and-coming stars in a reality television competition format on A&E.

Very much an example of constructed reality, even by sports entertainment standards, all the competitors are currently signed with WWE contracts, with the outcome being an NXT contract of their own.

Season 1 saw Jasper Troy victorious, going on to compete on NXT, while Tyra Mae Steele would eventually be released from her contract after around three years in April 2026, having competed on NXT and Evolve.

Season 2 would bring victories for Shiloh Hill and Dani Sekelsky, both of whom had competed in Season 1, with the latter now being better known as Skylar Raye.

As a way of showcasing future stars, WWE LFG occupies an interesting corner of entertainment, with all the competitors under developmental contracts, but not in the same way as WWE ID talent. Both categories of stars can find themselves on Evolve and NXT in some capacity, yet its Legends & Future Greats competitors who are vying for an NXT contract.

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• wwe
• bully ray
• Elio LeFleur
• dorian van dux

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